Long-Term Review: Fort Knox Original Pistol Box

By Mark Kakkuri // 07/14/2017

It’s been in my service for years: a Fort Knox Original Pistol Box. In it resides a Smith & Wesson M&P Compact or other guns suited to home defense (more about house guns later). Today I’m going to give you my long-term review of the Fort Knox box, a low-tech, heavyweight compared to other pistol safes available today — one that will probably outlast all of them.

Low-tech. Low-tech doesn’t mean no-tech. It’s just that there are no electronics or batteries — just simple mechanical interfaces that work, day in and day out. They’re faithful, reliable and strong. The lock opens and closes via a five-digit keypad (programmable). It’s simple: Enter combination, turn switch, open. An internal gas strut helps raise and safely lower the door. Foam padding lines the interior. Nothing squeaks or rattles and the foam padding has not deteriorated a bit. That’s pretty good for a box that’s been opened and closed virtually every day, with guns in and out, for the past few years. Other pistol safes require keys you shouldn’t lose and batteries that need to be replaced. They’re good safes; they just require a little more TLC.

Heavyweight. Heavyweight here means bank-vault tough. With 10-gauge steel comprising its construction, the Fort Knox Original Pistol Box weighs in at 22 pounds. The wraparound door is 3/16-inch thick. Overall dimensions are 12½ inches x 4¼ inches x 10⅜ inches — sort of a small, thick, chunky briefcase size. Yes, it’s portable, but not easily so. Moving it around will be a bit of a workout. So I found a good location for it and there it stays. Other pistol safes are smaller and lighter. They’re good safes; they just have a different mission — one that won’t, for instance, stand up to sledgehammer blows.

To be fair, I have not struck the Fort Knox Original Pistol Box with a sledgehammer. But I have no doubt it would stand up to repeated blows where other gun safes would instantly fold.

Retailing for $239, this is the kind of pistol box you want if you prefer a low-tech heavyweight for simple but serious duty. The Fort Knox Original Pistol Box works. It keeps guns safely locked inside and it keeps unauthorized people from accessing its contents. And should it come to some kind of contest where an unauthorized person wants to gain access, it’s going to be a long, drawn-out fight before the Fort Knox box gives in.

As for today’s long-term review, that’s it. But I’ll post another longer-term review in a few years. Maybe by then I’ll have put the Fort Knox Original Pistol Box through some more rigorous tests, including a bout with a sledgehammer. If you’ve got suggestions on this or other testing methods, please let me know…